After getting off the car, the hands of the two people unconsciously held each other, warm and soft.
It’s as if not long ago, Ji Yun’s confession and Xu Lin’s inability to answer never existed. Or perhaps for Xu Lin, he has redefined his feelings for Ji Yun, feeling more guilty towards this girl and criticizing his own greed.
Ji Yun, on the other hand, only felt a bit; she sensed Xu Lin’s feelings for her, which was more important than any confession like “I like you” or “I love you”.
“Xu Lin, I have a story to tell you,” as they walked inside, Ji Yun seemed to recall the past.
“Hmm, go ahead,” Xu Lin replied.
“Actually, I envy you.”
“Envy me?”
“It’s you at the beginning of school.”
“You might think I’m a charismatic figure, liked by everyone, with good grades and a good personality, but I don’t actually want that.”
“Because it exhausts me. It’s as if everything is pushed forward because I’m being watched by many people, and I’m afraid of making mistakes or saying the wrong things.”“So I have to work harder, be even more outstanding, but all of this makes me tired, very tired.”
“I also want to be alone, to be quiet, which is why I noticed you.”
“So, is that why you cheered me on?”
“More or less. Not that I was particularly kind, caring for everyone, just that I had taken a few more glances at you.”
“No, the thing you said back then was more important than anything else, like an angel catching me before I fell into hell.”
“And in the past, I could only watch you from afar, but now I can hold your hand. Can I give you an answer now? Do you want it?”
Xu Lin pondered for a moment and said these words, if the other party agreed, he decided, he would brave it once again for this girl!
But Ji Yun deliberately ignored the implication in his words, shaking her head.
“What answer? I don’t want to hear it now. The chance has passed, we’re just friends now, and that’s fine.”
“Okay.”
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, both of them relaxed a bit. At this moment, they also arrived at the south gate of the hospital.
But as he took a few steps inside, Ji Yun grabbed his hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t we need to buy something for the patient?”
“Hehe, it seems my wife is thoughtful~”
“Xu Lin! Stop saying strange things, I’m going back.”
Though Ji Yun said this, her hand still held onto his fingers tightly as she pulled him into the convenience store.
“Don’t buy fruits, okay? If it’s a bone injury, high-protein foods are better, like meat, eggs, and dairy.”
“Should we buy a box of milk, beef, and pork ribs? Meat and ribs can be cooked by senior sister Bai at home and given to her father.”
“Sure, I’ll listen to you.”
When she heard Xu Lin say “I’ll listen to you” in a gentle tone, a strange scene instantly flashed through her mind.
Xu Lin was holding a cute child as she cooked, asking him what he wanted to eat. He responded with “I’ll listen to you”.
“Alright then, I’ll decide. Boss, give me 5 kilograms of fresh beef and 5 kilograms of pork ribs.”
“Sure thing!”
After buying the meat, they went to the next door, a distributor of a well-known dairy brand.
“You two, would you like pure milk?”
“Yes, any recommendations? It’s for someone who’s sick.”
“This one is 75 yuan per box, with 24 packs per box, and it comes in a gift box.”
“Okay, how about this one?” Ji Yun glanced at Xu Lin, who nodded in agreement, and handed over a note to the seller.
“Alrighty, handsome, your change is 30 yuan.” The male boss fumbled through his pockets several times before managing to gather 3 ten-yuan bills, seeming particularly reluctant to part with the money, just like someone who’s especially fond of his wife.
“I told you, I’ll pay.”
“We’re a family, we share everything, isn’t it the same?”
“Xu Lin! I see your are unusually bold today. No wonder a big star like sister Chu likes you.”
“What do you mean by ‘bold’? (That’s called love!) You’re exaggerating. We’re just good friends, aren’t we good friends now?”
[T/N: “That’s called love” is probably his inner monologue. It was said like this in chinese.]
After saying this, he hurriedly took the box from the girl’s hand. If he didn’t improve his physical fitness, he’d probably struggle to even carry it to the hospital room.
Ji Yun was rendered speechless by his shamelessness, but she couldn’t help it. Who made her like this flirtatious guy?
“You tell the truth too, how many?” Ji Yun was curious, not out of jealousy, but sheer curiosity.
“How many what?”
“How many do you like, or rather, which ones like you?”
“Well…”
Just as Xu Lin was hesitating whether to reveal everything to Ji Yun, to give her some mental preparation, a familiar voice interrupted them.
“Xu Lin, Ji Yun?”
Hearing the voice, Xu Lin almost dropped what he was holding. Turning around, he saw the stern face of their teacher.
“Hello, Teacher Zhao!”
“Are you two here together to visit a patient in the hospital?”
Teacher Zhao noticed what Xu Lin was holding and asked, but he was more interested in observing the two students, as they were the top two in the class.
“We came together to visit senior Bai Xiaoxiao’s father.”
“Bai Xiaoxiao? Her grades were good this time. She ranked second in the third grade exam, just one point behind the first.”
“I heard her family isn’t doing well, but I didn’t expect her father to be hospitalized. The school has a support plan recently; you can let Bai Xiaoxiao know.”
“Alright, thank you, Teacher. But why are you going to the hospital? Is something wrong?”
Xu Lin remained composed, while Ji Yun stood by silently, like a little wife, without saying a word. Those who didn’t understand might think he was bullying her.
“Not at all, my cousin came here for an internship. She likes yogurt. So I stopped by and bought her some yogurt. She’s too busy to buy it.” said Laoban, his serious face turning into a smile, making Xu Lin and Ji Yun exchange a glance. Laoban is usually so serious but now… could he be a sis-con?
[T/N: Xu Lin’s classmates all call the head teacher Laoban behind his back.]
“We’ll leave then,” Xu Lin and Ji Yun also wanted to leave quickly. Although their parents knew about their little relationship, it felt weird if the teacher found out.
“Yeah, the teacher also said last time, I am a very open-minded person. But you must maintain good grades, you still have a long time ahead.”
“Let me tell you something embarrassing, a few years ago when I graduated, I regretted having a fruitless relationship in high school, otherwise I could have been accepted to a better University.”
“Teacher, we understand,” Xu Lin and Ji Yun nodded. Laoban was also doing it for their own good, but the next moment they suddenly realized something.
“Teacher, you said you graduated a few years ago, how old are you?”
“Hmm? I’m 29 this year, I graduated when I was 23.”
“Oh…”
“Oh.”
Xu Lin and Ji Yun nodded at each other, then exchanged a glance. The teacher really doesn’t look like a 30-year-old, does he?
Although it’s impolite to say, he doesn’t appear to be even 35. He’s dark and stout, with a weathered face; it’s really hard to believe he’s only 29.
“Ahem! You two go ahead, I’ll go ahead, we won’t be together on the way.”
“Okay.” The two slightly embarrassed people also nodded and left the shop.
Zhao Gang sighed, wondering if he really looked that old.
He lifted a box of milk to the counter, took out his wallet, but before he could take out the money, the shopkeeper came over from afar.
“The handsome young man and the pretty girl, which one is yours? They both look so beautiful standing together.”
“No no… neither of them are mine.”
Zhao Gang was completely dumbfounded… but before he could fully process it, the shopkeeper delivered another blow.
“Sorry, that’s what I was saying. You’re so young, only about thirty-four or thirty-five, where would you get two such big children from, haha!”
The shopkeeper praised him, but Zhao Gang’s face twitched twice. You really know how to compliment people!
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